(a) Field of the invention
This invention pertains generally to forced, hot air ovens, and more specifically to structural improvements in such ovens, and the method of operating same, for circulating the heated air more efficiently for even, thorough cooking of diverse products.
(b) Prior Art
French Pat. No. 1,195,023, and its related patent of addition 75,239, disclose an alimentary food oven employing a motor driven fan, or blower, at the rear of the housing to push hot air horizontally from each side of the cooking compartment. The hot air travels across the cooking compartment and passes around the products to be cooked. In the patent of addition, openings are provided in the lateral walls of the cooking compartment to shorten the path of travel for the hot air and thus to improve the cooking process.
French Pat. No. 2,036,225, granted to the same inventor, suggests positioning a screen above the products being cooked in such a way that the food products are totally isolated from direct contact with the currents of hot air. The products are placed in cooking compartments with trays positioned above and below. The hot air is circulated in such a manner that the food products are heated solely through the trays.
In the above noted patents, as well as in other known forced hot air alimentary ovens, considerable difficulty has been encountered in evenly distributing the hot air forced throughout the oven so that the products are cooked thoroughly. In some instances, diffusion screens, movable partitions, etc., have been used to overcome the major problem, but with limited success. The problem of evenly distributing the hot air forced throughout the oven becomes more troublesome when the products to be cooked are dishes containing fruits and creams with high moisture content.
Also, some forced hot air ovens have employed a fan or blower at the rear of the oven housing to force the heated air therethrough. However, such positioning of the fan takes up a relatively large proportion of the oven floor space, thus reducing the cooking capacity. In an attempt to more fully utilize the floor space of the oven, other forced hot air ovens have placed the fan or blower at the top of the oven.
The top mounted fan forces the air towards the bottom of the oven, from whence it rises, enters the cooking compartments through appropriately sized, lateral apertures, and passes across the products to be cooked. However, difficulties have been encountered in the return path for the hot air and uneven cooking of the products has occured.